Post #2 Predators

Not until recently was I informed of the importance of predators in our ecosystem. Most people view them as a threat when they are actually quite the opposite. Predators can be intimidating when they come too close to our habitats but are vital in keeping the ecosystem balanced and acting as it should. Most of us know that our technological advances, such as commercial building and road construction, have caused wildlife to diminish in numbers, but do not understand how it is detrimental to us. The extinction of wildlife in certain areas has disrupted the natural cycle of the environment by knocking it off balance. This happened in Yellowstone National Park in he 1930's when the wolves were hunted to extinction throughout the park because people viewed them as a threat. The depletion of the wolves caused changes to the park that no one ever thought possible! Because the wolves were gone the elk increased in numbers consuming all the vegetation because they lacked a predator. The lack of vegetation in the soil caused the trees to stop growing which impacted the whole ecosystem tremendously. Without growth of new trees there was no beavers building dams, which is very important in creating a healthy downstream ecosystem. Most people don't understand that the depletion of one thing in an ecosystem causes a domino effect disrupting the entire system. What happened in Yellowstone in the 1930's is beginning to happen now in our oceans. We need to start changing our behavior now or we are going to suffer the consequences later.